Flora-Fauna

Rhagadiolus stellatus (L.) Gaertn.

(Fruct. Sem. Pl. 2: 354; 1791 – basionym: Cichorium stellatum L., Sp. Pl.: 812; 1753 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CCXX nº 3; 1969)

• Life-form & habit: Annual herb, 10–45 cm tall, slender and branched from the base, forming loose tufts. Stems erect or ascending, angular, glabrous or finely pubescent, containing milky latex.

• Leaves: Basal leaves in a rosette, oblong to oblanceolate, 30–90 × 6–20 mm, pinnatifid or dentate; cauline leaves smaller, sessile, semi-amplexicaul, and entire or coarsely toothed. Indumentum sparse and variable.

• Inflorescence & flowers: Capitula numerous, solitary on slender peduncles, forming a lax, paniculate inflorescence. Involucre cylindrical, 8–15 mm long; inner bracts linear-lanceolate, outer ones shorter, spreading at fruiting. Ligules bright yellow, 7–10 mm long, sometimes flushed red beneath; all florets fertile. Receptacle naked.

• Fruit: Achenes heteromorphic — outer ones short, thick, and beakless; inner achenes elongated, narrowed into a slender beak bearing a pappus of soft, white hairs; surface transversely rugose or finely reticulate.

• Phenology: Flowers and fruits from March to June.

• Habitat & elevation: Dry open slopes, fallow fields, and rocky roadsides on calcareous or sandy soils; 0–1 600 m. Prefers sunny, well-drained habitats and is often abundant in disturbed spring grasslands.

• Lebanese distribution: Common and widespread from the coast to mid-elevations. Reported by Mouterde (1969) from Beirut, Aley, Zahlé, Barouk, Baskinta, and Rashaya. Especially abundant in dry fields, foothills, and rocky slopes of Mount Lebanon and the Beqaa.

• Native to: Albania, Algeria, Baleares, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Madeira, Morocco, North Caucasus, NW. Balkan Pen., Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Sardegna, Sicilia, Sinai, Spain, Switzerland, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe (POWO).

• Introduced into: California (POWO).

• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: Rhagadiolus stellatus is the common Mediterranean species of the genus, readily recognised by its bright yellow, star-like heads and beaked inner achenes. Mouterde (1969) noted its coexistence with R. edulis in Lebanon, from which it differs by its smaller stature, more branched habit, and more compact capitula. The species name stellatus (“starry”) refers to the radiating appearance of the ligulate florets, a key visual feature distinguishing it from related genera such as Tolpis and Crepis.